Metal awning



A. E. HODO METAL AWNING March 27, 1951 Filed April 5, 1948 INVENTOR.

yausus cus 33:, -xoDc -BY Mam -W 6 ATTORNEYS Patented Mar. 27, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2 Claims.

The present invention relates to metal. awnings and more particularly to a ventilated awning having apertured bent portions, the apertures being so disposed that the possibility of rain leakage therethrough is minimized if not entirely obviated.

Metal awnings are frequently provided with angular bends to simulate slats, there being spaced openings in the bends to provide ventilation. One of the difiiculties in cutting bent blanks, however, is waste of material due to the fact that the cut blanks are not reversible or invertible. This is particularly true with respect to the side aprons of the awning.

It is one of the objects of this invention to provide a metal awning, having apertures therein for ventilating purposes, but which prevents to a maximum degree the flow of any rain water through the apertures.

A further object of the invention is to provide a metal blank having spaced angular bends and adapted to be used with either face positioned on the inside or outside of the awning.

Other objects will be apparent from the fol lowing description of the invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which Fig. l is a fragmentary perspective view of one form of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary perspective view of ani other form of the invention;

Fig. 3 is a reduced perspective of the type of metal awning to which the invention is particularly applicable; and

l is a diagrammatic illustration of the manner in which the parts of the awning are cut from a blank.

Referring to the drawings, one type of awning to which the invention is adaptable is shown in Fig. 3, this awning comprising an inclined shade portion Iii, front apron H, and side aprons i2. In this awning the form of bent and apertured metal blank employed is illustrated in Fig. 1, from which it will be seen that stepped relatively wide portions I3 are connected by S-shaped bends, each having spaced parallel flanges I 4 connected by a horizontal web it, angularly disposed to the wide portion and the plane of the web being substantially parallel to the plane of the wide portions. The connecting web is provided with a plurality of spaced openings it), the length of these openings being slightly greater than the width of the web so that they extend partly into the flanges 14. The openings are punched in the flat metal blank before it is bent and for convenience are circular, but it is ob vious that they may be elliptical or even polygonal if desired. 'The particular advantage of the apertured S-shaped bends shown in Fig. 1 is that in use the cut blank is reversible and may be positioned in the assembled awning with either side facing out. This is not only advantageous when cutting the blanks from a long length of bent metal, especially with respect to the side aprons, but by being so adaptable prevents waste of material. In Fig. 4 there is illustrated the manner in which the constituent parts are cut from a length of material, the central shade por-- tion and front apron being formed from. the rectangular blank ll and the side aprons from similar substantially triangular blanks [8. Because of the reversibility of the blanks, the triangular side aprons may be cut as shown, thus making maximum use of the metal and obviating waste of material.

In Fig. 2 the flanges l4 and webs l5 which form the S-connections between the wide portions 13 are bent in opposite directions. In use the corners of the bends extend in a vertical direction as distinguished from those shown in Fig. 3 wherein the corners are horizontally disposed. In both forms of the invention illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, the webs I5 and i5 underlie the wide portions so that, while the apertures provide for ventilation, they are protected fromrain. The

inclination of the shade portion of the awning, when the form of bent metal shown in Fig. 1 is employed, is downwardly from the bend A toward the bend B so that rain is drained from the awning by flowing from one step over an. overhanging portion onto the neXt underlying step. Hence it will be apparent that water cannot flow through the ventilating openings in the web portions of the bends. It is equally true that water will flow over or from one side portion to another in the form illustrated in Fig. 2 without passing through the ventilating openings.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that an efficient and decorative awning may be assembled from blanks bent as shown, providing adequate ventilation but, at the same time, insuring protection from rain. The forms of the invention described herein readily lend themselves to economic manufacture, both as to simplicity and full use of material. While the embodiments of the invention illustrated in the drawings are preferred examples of the invention, it is to be understood that they are susceptible of modification within the definition thereof as set forth in the appended claims.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. An element for use in awnings comprising a metal member having spaced relatively wide parallel portions, adjacent wide portions being in difierent planes, and portions connecting the opposite edges of each of said wide portions with the next adjacent wide portions, each of said connecting portions being bent and substantially S- shaped with spaced flanges angularly disposed to said wide portions and a web connecting said flanges, said wide portions being disposed in successively stepped relation to each other, said web having a plurality of ventilating openings therein.

2. An element for use in awnings comprising a metal member having spaced relatively wide parallel portions, adjacent wide portions being in difierent planes, and portions connecting the opposite edges of each of said wide portions with the next adjacent wide portions, each of said connecting portions being bent and substantially S-shaped with spaced flanges angularly disposed to said wide portions and a Web connecting said flanges, said wide portions being disposed alternately one above the next adjacent wide portion, said web having a plurality of ventilating openings therein.

AUGUSTUS E. HODO.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date D. 153,622 Peeples May 3, 1949 312,585 Seton et al Feb. 1'7, 1885 313,865 Hayes Mar. 1'7, 1885 1,259,914 Seward et a1. Mar. 19, 1918 2,503,136 Simpson Apr. 4, 1950 

